Читать книгу Unstoppable - Wilkinson Pete - Страница 4

The castle looked beautiful in the morning sunshine standing high and proud on the hill. The lake was calm with tiny ripples tickling the shoreline. We all stood ready to enter, nervously wondering what was going to happen next.

I'd been up since 3.30am; I'd had a massive breakfast because I knew it was going to be a long day.

At 5.50am I stepped into the lake and, even though it was August, as the cold water filled my wetsuit it took my breath away and I clumsily swam to get fully submerged.

After sharing a few words with the people next to me it all suddenly changed. At 6am the klaxon sounded and within minutes the calm start was a distant memory. I was literally getting kicked and punched by the other competitors – it was sheer pandemonium. My first goal was to just reach the first buoy without panicking and sinking to the bottom.

I managed to get out of the water 2 minutes ahead of my target time, driving myself on to start the 112-mile bike leg.

After about 7 hours taking in each long mile, I was back in transition and changed into my running gear getting ready for a full 26.2-mile marathon (just what you want the most, having already been racing for about 8 hours).

I'd done the training and paid the entrance fee and was determined to finish the race. I was discovering new levels of fatigue but as I finally crossed the finishing line, I realized that it's at moments like this that you discover the person you really are.

Discovering who you really are is one of the main reasons I love to compete in long-distance triathlons and cycle events. We are goal-seeking mechanisms. I think the reason why so many people don't make the most of themselves is because they don't habitually set goals. When you set yourself a goal, a real challenge that requires you to commit to in order to be successful, you connect with the person you really are. You tap into areas of your personality that you forgot about. You demonstrate resolve and tenacity, skills that are there but often dormant. In short, when you start to perform at your best in order to complete a goal, you become alive.

The only reason I was able to complete this huge challenge was because I became Unstoppable. Just imagine what you will achieve when you perform at your best, make the most of yourself and you become Unstoppable?